Great Shooting!

by Buck
(Oklahoma)

Dove hunting is often simple, and can be a family event. I was the youngster, barely a teen, my dad, granddad, and at least two uncles were on this hunt.

I had an almost new single-shot .410 with a full choke. It had a "cool" auto ejector which kicked out the shell when you opened the gun. I learned to hold a second shell between the fingers of my left hand, flip open the gun to make a fairly fast second shot.(Remember that!)

The gun's barrel was the size of a 20 gauge at the breech then tapered rapidly to .410 size at the muzzle end. When looking down the barrel it resembled a blued ski-slope with a bead on the end.

I love .410's, have enjoyed owning and shooting several, but not that one. It was new on that day, but later I remember borrowing guns to avoid using it.

Back to the dove hunt. I was always excited about hunting, and especially with the men of the family.

The uncles went one way; Dad, Granddad, and I went the other. Dad went to one of the ponds, Granddad and I walked on to find our luck.

Several hours later my initial excitement was gone; I'd only seen a few distant doves and not fired a shot. I was walking back to where granddad stood when I spotted a dove coming straight at me; followed by another a good distance behind.

I dropped the incoming bird, flipped open the gun, reloaded, turned completely around and shot the second one going away. The second one slowly crash-landed some distance away.

My granddad witnessed the event and excitedly yelled something like, "at-a-boy, great shooting." He was soon with me, patting my back, praising my incredible shooting, his smile wide, and his blue eyes sparkling.

Grandad never hesitated at a chance to tell the rest of the family over and over what an incredible shot I was.

"I is sum-dumb, but not plum-dumb!" I kept my mouth shut for years, and enjoyed the accolades for those rare lucky shots I'd made.